Dear Editor,
The adopted country (US) of Jamaican-born Sanya Richards Ross (400m gold medalist at the London 2012 Olympics) paved the way towards international stardom for her. Once again, I stand firmly with my words that overseas-based Guyanese, Kadecia Baird will only be propelled to international stardom should an avenue open up for her to compete under the USA‘s flag. She will encounter major hurdles representing Guyana, and this is owing to the fact that Guyana is not currently in a position to undertake the task of funding her at the level which will be needed for her to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Mr Seeraj conducted a live programme with guests, Mr Colin Boyce (AAG) and Mr Lyndon Wilson (coach) on Wednesday, August 29 on the track and field fraternity and Mr Boyce did indicate that to some extent he would not really agree with the freelance writer who said that K Baird would represent the USAs. This is fine with me; he has every right to disagree. He went on to say that plans are in place for Ms Baird to represent Guyana in Rio, and he would soon be making contact with her parents. He is in constant contact with her coach, and he has a meeting on Friday, August 31 with Mr Neil Kumar (Director of Sports). In addition, he said a five-year plan of action would soon be available, etc. Well done as a start, and I sincerely wish him success.
On another subject, Amerindian and locally-based Ms Wilson from the Lethem region in 2010 created history at the Nationals Schools Championship when she performed excellently running barefoot. She was the talk of the town for her accomplishment, particularly since she came all the way from one of Guyana’s remote regions. Where is she currently? Lost, forgotten and dismissed from the track and field fraternity. Guyana could not afford to underwrite her expenses for her development. So, where is Guyana sourcing the funding to offset Ms Baird’s expenses for her track development with Rio in mind?
The Ministry of Sport has only been allotted a certain amount for sports development in the budget, and that has to be shared among the various sports‘ fraternities. So, wouldn’t it be wiser to use whatever is available to track and field for the development of the other locally-based track athletes with their preparation for Rio?
We recently jetted off three track athletes to Jamaica for high performance training in the hope of them going to London. We know the one from the Guyana Police Force was in London recently.
Are the other two from the Guyana Defence Force still training in Jamaica? If not, I hope they haven’t ended up like Ms Wilson from Lethem – lost, forgotten and dismissed.
It would be educational to learn from the GDF two about their experience and training in Jamaica, and what preparations are currently in place for them for Rio. Sports journalists should get up from their fancy chairs in air-conditioned offices and hit the field.
It’s called investigative journalism. Not many may know about that profession. I would love to know which sports journalist will be hitting the trail to Lethem to locate Ms Wilson, and if they do, they should make an effort to locate the other Amerindian track athlete who also did wonders at the 2011 National Schools Championship. I expect the mode of transportation would be the bus service, and not a flight from Ogle Airport. I fully agree with Mr Neil Kumar when he stated that some journalists only suck up to sports associations and are given awards.
If I also remember correctly, it was Air Services Ltd which gifted the 2011 female Amerindian athlete a seat on one of their flights back home; it was a brilliant gesture.
Mr Lyndon Wilson said on national television during the programme referred to above that sports have become a business and are no longer fun. Was he saying that some of the track meets in Guyana have become a business? If that was what he meant, it tells me that ‘business’ has overtaken sports development, and it all boils down to personal gain.
Yours faithfully,
T Pemberton
